Ars Electronica Futurelab’s Fluxels, a scalable swarm of ground robots equipped with hexagonal LED displays, brought about a new language of visual expression. The bots can transform visual content into an aesthetic performance via their integrated screens, leading to a vast range of potential applications.
Fluxels is a play on words inspired by an association of Spaxels, “Fluxus” and the aesthetic quality of swift, fluid movement. It is the name for a ground robot platform developed in the Ars Electronica Futurelab, conceived for swarm bot performances as part of a collaboration with NTT.
In September 2012, a new medium for physical-visual expression was born along the banks of the river Danube in Linz: The world’s first large-scale outdoor formation drone flight illuminated the night sky as part and centerpiece of the open-air music festival Klangwolke.